Cupel-cooler for assay-furnaces.



No. 633,462. Patented Sept. 19, I899.

' w. n. LONGWOOD. I

CUPEL COOLER FUR ASSAY FUBNACES.'

(Application filed Feb. 18, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DANIELSEN LONGWOOD, OF DEADWTOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

CUPEL-COOLER' FOR ASSAY-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,462, dated September 19, 1899.

Application filed February 18, 1899. Serial No. 706,078. (No model.)

To all whom it ntctg concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DANIELSEN LONGWOOD, of Deadwood, in the county of Lawrence and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oupel-Coolers for Assay-Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in cupel-coolers for assay-furnaces whereby the heat for the metal contained in the cupels can be maintained uniformly and a large number of filled cupels can be conveniently handled by an assayer.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure l is a sectional perspective view of the improvement arranged ina mufile, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.

In assaying as heretofore practiced it has been customary to place crucibles in the muffle back of the cupels to keep the same and the metal contained therein sufficiently cool for cupellation; but the placing and ad justment of such crucibles in the muffle requires considerable time and labor, is very unhandy, and allows the assayer to use only a single row of cupels at a time in order to do good work. With my invention presently to be described in detail the assayer is enabled to readily run two or more rows of cupels at the same time and to insure a uniform heating of the same.

The cupels A, containing the metal under treatment, are arranged in one or more longitudinally-extending rows and are set on the v bottom of a mu file B, near the front end there of, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 1, the in uffle being held during the operation in a furnace of any approved construction. In front of the outermost row of cupels A is arranged a longitudinallyextending tile-bar C of a height somewhat less than that of the cupels A to keep the bottom of the cupels as hot as desired and allow air to pass directly over the cupels and strike the same about oneeighth of an inch at their upper ends. In the rear of the innermost row of cupels is arranged a longitudinally-extending and vertically-disposed partition D, made in the shape of a tile and having transverse apertures D, one for'each cupel, with a straight bottom and an arched top, the bottom being a distance below the top surface of the cupel A. Holes D are arranged in the upper portion of the partition D, near the middle thereof, to permit of inserting tongs or other tools for convenien tly'placing the partition in the rear of the cupels A as soon as the cupellation has begun.

On the top of the partition D rests the forward end of a cover or roof E, preferably made of a number of tiles, therear ends of which rest on the bottom of the muflie near the back of the same. The sides of the tiles for the cover E are cut out, as at E, at their rear ends to form openings for the heat to pass from underneath the cover to the top thereof. The extreme rear ends of the tiles for the cover E are also formed with projections E so that when said tiles are turned over their front ends, projecting beyond the partition D, are lowered, so that the front ends do not strike the top of the muffie at the time the covering-tiles are pulled forward to shield the front rows of cupels. It is understood that the partition D is not moved after cupellation has com menced,and the heat is regulated by the cover E, which is slid forward or rearwarchaccording to the condition of the metal in the cupels A.

The holes D previously mentioned, may be engaged by transversely-extending bars F, adapted to rest with their forward endson the tile-bar C, the under side of the bars being cut out, as indicated in Fig. 2, to extend over the cupels A. A protecting-tile G is placed on the bars Fin a longitudinal direction directly over the cupels A. The tile G and bars F are only in use when the furnace gets extremely hot and when more than two rows of cupels are run at the same time. The tile G is made about the width of a cupel A and extends across the whole muffle, as shown in Fig. 1, and the tile is placed over whichever row of cupels gets too hot, so that the tile acts as a direct cooler by absorbing heat, and is removed from the muffle as soon as the cupels are brought back to the desired tem perature.

In using the device the tile-bar C is placed on its flat side in front of the cupels A, as shown in Fig. 1, and the partition D is placed rearward in the muffle to engage the covering-tiles at about one-half of their length, the front end of the covering-tiles projecting beyond the partition and over the cupels, as indicated in Fig. 2. When cupellation has begun, then the partition D is placed close to the back of the cupels A. In case the cupels and the metal contained therein are getting too cool by the air passing over the bar 0 and striking the cupels before passing through the apertures D in the partition then the assayer sets the tile-bar O on edge to shield the cupels from the cool air and to allow the same to regain the desired temperature. The ends of the cover E projecting over the cupels shade the latter from the heat in the back of the muftle and allow the cool air to collect over the cupels and pass through the openings 1) to the rear of the partition D.

The tiles for the cover E are preferably made wedge-shaped, with the base ends at the rear, to prevent the tiles from being overbalanced at the front and falling upon the cupels.

It will be understood from the foregoing that by having the single openings D in the partition D and the tile-bar C in front of the cupels the draft that passes over the latter is split up and each cupel receives a uniform amount of heat for insuring a proper heating of all the cupels in the mufiie. As the cupels are shaded from the top by the covering, it is evident that the highest heat comes from the bottom of the muffle, thereby causing less volatilization. of the silver and gold under treatment. Y

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1 1. In a cupel-cooler for the muffles in an assay-furnace, the combination with a muffle, and cupels therein, of a bar in front of the cupels, an apertured draft-partition in the rear ofthe cupels, and a shield or covering extending above the cupels, substantially as shown and'described.

2. In a cupel-cooler for the muflies of an assay-furnace, the combination with a muffle, and cupels therein, of a bar infront of the cupels, an apertured draft-partition in the rear of the cupels, and a shield or covering extending above the cupels, and resting with its rear end on the bottom of the muffle and With its forward portion on said partition, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a cupel-cooler for the muftles in an assay-furnace, the combination with a mufiie, and cupels therein, of a tile-bar in front of the cupels, and of a thickness somewhat less than the height of the cupels, and,of a width in excess of the height of the cupels, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a cupel-cooler for the muffles in an assay-furnace, the combination with a muffle and cupels therein, of a draft-partition having transverse draft-openings, one for each say-furnace, the combination with a muffle,

and cupels therein, of a bar in front of the cupels, an apertured draft-partition in the rear of the cupels, a shield or covering extending above the cupels, transverse bars engaging the partition and resting on the bar in front of the cupels, and a tile-plate supported by the said transverse bars and extending above the cupels, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a cupel-cooler for the mufiies in an assay-furnace, the combination with a muffle, and cupels therein, of a flat tile-bar arranged in the front of the cupels, and of a thickness less than the height of the cupels and of a width in excess to the height of the cupels, a partition arranged in the rear of the cupels, and formed with draft-openings, one for each cupel, the bottom of the wall of the opening being below the top of the cupel, and a tile covering extending above the cupels forward of the partition, substantially as described.

8. A cupel-cooler for assay-furnaces, comprising a flat tile-bar, a tile having openings therein and arranged to be set on edge to form a vertical partition, and a shield or covering formed of a plurality of tiles adapted to rest atone end on the partition and having their edges at the other end cut out to form openings and each provided on one side with a projection at said end, the whole being adapted to be arranged in a muffle, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. A cupel-cooler for assay-furnaces, com-v prising a flat tile-bar, a tile having two sets of openings therein and arranged to be set on edgeto form a vertical partition, a shield or cover formed of a plurality of tiles adapted to rest at one end on the partition and having their edges at the other end cut out to form openings and each provided on one side with a projectionat said end, bars adapted to rest uponthe first-named bar and toengage one set of the openings in the partition, and a tile-plate adapted to restupon the said bars, the wholebeing adapted to be arranged in a muffle, as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM DANIELSEN IAONGWOOD.

WVitnesses:

JOHN V. U. Donn, GEO. A. NIoHoLLs. 

